Good Characters Have Greasy Hair

Good characters have greasy hair. I know, I know, but humor me for a bit here.

Something that people might not know about me is that I went to college planning to go into medicine. When I met Joseph and realized I wanted to get married and have kids a little earlier, I changed to education–but I’m still interested in medicine. One of the ways that I stay in touch with that side of my personality is watching medical shows of all sorts: documentaries, movies, and lately, Grey’s Anatomy.

Thanks to Netflix, I’ve binge-watched many a series (including E.R.), and I’m currently hip-deep in Grey’s (we’re in season eight and I’m dying to know what the outcome is for Zola).

As someone with a drama background, I can appreciate the acting on a show like Grey’s. The show’s well-cast and well-written. The characters are realistic and I appreciate how they have real-life struggles and outcomes. I particularly appreciate the fact that the doctors don’t always know what they’re doing. I learned that when I did observations. You’d be surprised how many times your doctor steps out of the room to consult the Physician’s Desk Reference, especially if you aren’t the forty-fifth case of the flu they’ve seen that week.

[image error]Promotional shot from Grey’s Anatomy

What does irk me about shows like Grey’s is that the characters never have greasy hair.

Their special effects department does a great job at applying fake blood. They do wonderful recreations of surgeries.

But they don’t give their characters greasy hair.

I’ve been a patient before. When I was pregnant with Cameron, I spent sixty-six days in the hospital. I wasn’t allowed to shower often due to high blood pressure, so we did a lot of dry shampoo.

I wasn’t sitting in the hospital bed with full makeup and artfully styled curls.

You’ve followed me this long. I’m sure you’re wondering how this ties back to writing, so let me lay it out for you: good characters have greasy hair. In other words, good characters have flaws. They have blemishes. It’s beyond frustrating to read a book where the characters are all sunshine and rainbows.

Don’t be afraid to let your character be seen with greasy hair. Let them be unlikable every now and then. Let them be spoiled or petulant for a few pages. Let their humanity show. That’s what helps your readers identify with them.

So, now you tell me. What characterization trends crawl up and down your spine?